16 Most Valuable Dinosaur Cards

Etali, Primal Conqueror | Illustrated by Ryan Pancoast

If you’re of a certain age, odds are you caught the dinosaur bug pretty young… and I’m not talking about fossilized mosquitoes in amber (a la Amber Prison). Jurassic Park was the highest-grossing film of all time for a while, and dinosaurs remain an important part of pop culture (and the natural history of our planet, for that matter).

While the first creature printed with the Dinosaur type was Pygmy Allosaurus from Ice Age, the type was removed in 2007 only then to triumphantly return with a (big) bang in Ixalan block and then was further bolstered in 2023’s The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. But which Dinos are among the most valuable ever? Let’s take a look.

Note: Prices all come from TCGPlayer over the past calendar year, unless otherwise noted, which are subject to rapid change based on market conditions. Also, no duplicates are allowed on these lists; cards can be featured once, and that’s it.

Honorable Mention: Old Fogey (Foil) – Unhinged

Market Price: $29.08

An eminently fun take on old Magic keywords from 2004’s “un-set” Unhinged. While the original version can be had for just over $1, the foil version is extremely rare and is worth nearly $30.

16. Spinosaurus // Regisaur Alpha – Jurassic World: Life Breaks Free Secret Lair Drop

Market Price: $30.85

This cool Dinosaur lord grants all your Dinos haste and was reskinned as the “big bad” from Jurassic Park III, which features William H. Macy. Not sure why I mentioned that other than to plant the seed in Wizards of the Coasts’ head for a future Fargo Secret Lair Drop.

15. Nezahal, Primal Tide (Foil) – Showcase: March of the Machine Vol. 2 Secret Lair Drop

Market Price: $32.13

Blue does not host many Dinosaurs, as this Elder Dinosaur originally from Rivals of Ixalan is one of only six in Magic’s history, but what a Dino it is! This 7/7 creature is extremely hard to get rid of, and it also can’t be countered, so it will almost always hit the battlefield, and when it does, it sticks around for the long haul. An Inexorable Tide, to be sure.

14. Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness – March of the Machine

Market Price: $32.38

One of my favorite Dino cards herein, this 7/7 trampler for is a prime example of power creep. The original Etali (Etali, Primal Storm) was a potent way of stealing stuff from your opponents upon attacking. Primal Conqueror Etali, however, ramps that ability up to 11 by triggering upon entering, and also only stealing nonland permanents, which affect the board far more than just “the top card.”

If that wasn’t enough, if you pay , you get to transform it into a new, nonartifact version of Blightsteel Colossus. Two dynamite cards in one. Now that’s power creep!

13. Indominus Rex // Polyraptor (Foil) – Jurassic World: Life Breaks Free Secret Lair Drop

Market Price: $32.54

While the mechanically unique Indominus Rex from Lost Caverns might be worth more, the version that serves as a reskinned Polyraptor is also worth a pretty penny. Making tons of copies of creatures is always fun, especially when you go infinite doing so, which is trivial with this version of Indominus/Polyraptor:

12. Etali, Primal Storm – (Borderless Mana Foil) – Foundations

Market Price: $33.51

The first mention of one of the most notable red Dinos in Magic history (but not the last), this version of Etali featured a treatment from Foundations that could be found on rares and mythic rares from the set only in Collector Boosters. It features the five mana symbols () embossed on the right side of the card, which adds a memorable, premium feel.

11. Gishath, Sun's Avatar – Monster Anatomy 101 Secret Lair Drop

Market Price: $38.65

This legendary Naya-colored () Dinosaur Avatar was first unveiled as part of the dinosauric renaissance that was 2017’s Ixalan set. As the second most played Dinosaur commander per EDHREC, it’s no surprise to see Gishath on this list, nor is it surprising to see this Dino’s only Secret Lair printing from a 2021 drop be the most valuable version.

10. Ghalta, Primal Hunger (Borderless Mana Foil) – Foundations

Market Price: $44.50

While most versions of this massive 12/12 trampling Dinosaur can be had for around 80 cents, this borderless foil one is worth nearly $45. What’s the difference? It's the "mana foil" treatment, previously seen on Etali, Primal Storm at #12. Seeing as Ghalta is one of the most notable and popular Dinosaur from Magic’s history, this printing’s price point makes sense, and it will likely go up over the years.

9. Spitting Dilophosaurus (Jurassic World Collection) – The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Market Price: $46.30

An incredible artwork that displays an important plot moment from the original Jurassic Park film, this 3/2 black Dinosaur plays beautifully in -1/-1 shells, and this card saw a notable spike in price during the spoiler season for Lorwyn Eclipsed when it became apparent that that set’s blight mechanic would pair perfectly with this colorful, frilled, deadly Dino.

8. Ravenous Tyrannosaurus (Jurassic World Collection) – The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Market Price: $52.83

An incredible Gruul ( Dinosaur that makes this Timmy player smile, the artwork is absolutely spot-on in representing the exact spine-tingling moment when the T-Rex bellows in the museum at Jurassic Park. But come on, Wizards, give this bruiser trample!

7. Illuna, Apex of Wishes // Ghidorah, King of the Cosmos – Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths

Market Price: $70.87

2019 saw WotC introduce “Booster Fun” as the name for special card frames and treatments in Magic sets, and 2020’s Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths showcased an amazing one in collaboration with the Godzilla franchise.

The most valuable of those cards is this amazing take on Illuna, Apex of Wishes, but in the guise of Godzilla’s archenemy King Ghidorah, a bidepal three-headed Dragon, though Ghidorah is listed as a Dinosaur in this case. That raises the question, are dragons also dinosaurs? Not in Magic, my friend! (Well, in two cases they are.)

6. Hunting Velociraptor (Jurassic World Collection) – The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Market Price: $74.32

One of the most potent typal enablers ever – across any creature type – is this amazing 3/2 Dino for that grants a prowl cost of for all your other Dinosaurs, which means they can be cast for that meager mana cost if you deal combat damage to a foe.

Want to play an ultra-cheap Zetalpa, Primal Dawn, Zacama, Primal Calamity, or Etali, Primal Conqueror? You got it! What about a Morophon, the Boundless, Changeling Titan, or Chameleon Colossus? They’re Dinosaurs, too, so come on down! An extremely busted Dinosaur payoff and a “kill on sight” threat in Commander.

5. Etali, Primal Storm // Tyrannosaurus Rex (Foil) – Jurassic World: Life Breaks Free Secret Lair Drop

Market Price: $82.93

Etali is one of the most iconic Dinosaurs in Magic, so it’s only fitting that his original printing has seen a number of premium reprints over the years, including in this 2023 Secret Lair Drop.

Per the Secret Lair site: “Gigantic reptilian clones have broken free of their enclosures and are now roaming Secret Lair,” none of which are bigger than Jurassic Park’s original figurehead, the gargantuan carnivorous leviathan known as Tyrannosaurus Rex (aka Etali in this Drop).

4. Vaultborn Tyrant (Raised Foil Vault Frame The Big Score) – Outlaws of Thunder Junction

Market Price: $154.37

Multiple versions of this Outlaws of Thunder Junction banger could’ve made the list, as its abilities are tremendously potent across a variety of formats, and it slides perfectly into many Commander decks that employ big bodies, of which the Vaultborn is certainly one.

The most valuable Vaultborn Tyrant version features the “raised foil vault frame” treatment, which can only be found in Collector Boosters… or for over $150 on the secondary market.

3. Keruga, the Macrosage (Double Rainbow Serialized Multiverse Legends) – March of the Machine

Market Price: $198.86

Shockingly, a serialized card does not top this list, and, in fact, can be had for a “paltry sum” below $200. Originally printed in Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths from 2020, this version of Keruga boasts striking artwork courtesy of Denis Medri, who has only illustrated seven cards in his Magic career, many of which come from the plane of Ikoria.

2. Fungusaur – Alpha

Market Price: $289.69

While it was originally printed with the unique “Fungusaur” creature type and then errata’d to be a more standardized “Fungus Dinosaur,” the original printing of this card is over 30 years old and remains the first-ever Dinosaur card in Magic history. This card’s ability has also stood the test of time, as it has been reused across multiple cards, including on the semantically linked Fungus Sliver from Time Spiral.

1. Indominus Rex, Alpha (Jurassic World Collection Embossed Foil) – The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Market Price: $1,081.17

The top seven cards on this list should all, technically, be from the Jurassic World Collection bonus sheet found in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan (and nine of the top 10). However, despite those cards being mechanically unique and highly interesting in their own right, the reason they are all so pricey is due to having the Jurassic Park logo embossed on special foil versions of the cards. As such, I will only be including the most valuable of the bunch, which happens to be Indominus Rex, Alpha.

This legendary 6/6 Dinosaur Mutant for can enter with a keyword soup based on the kind of creature cards you discard when casting it. Due to being the “big bad” from Jurassic World and being a top 20 Dinosaur commander option per EDHREC, it’s no surprise to see it top this list with a market price above a cool $1k.

From Fossils to Four Figures

Dinosaur cards have come a long way from oddball old-school curios to some of the splashiest and most collectible creatures in Magic. Whether you’re here for Alpha history, Jurassic Park nostalgia, or premium Commander bling, these are the Dinos that currently rule the secondary market food chain.